Tag: Valentine’s Day

Bleeding Hearts: Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

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I started out wanting to do another cutesy Valentine’s Day treat, but then I remembered that Valentine’s Day is a totally made up holiday (as all holidays are, I suppose).  And really, some people hate it.  I can’t say that’s the case for me, but I know for many, there is heart break and sorrow that goes along with this Hallmark holiday.  And you know what? They deserve a treat too.

So this Valentine’s Day, if you want to stick it to the man, make yourself these hand pies.

bleedinghearts

It’s basically like saying F-you to sprinkles and red roses.  So go for it. And just to warn you, I’m saying F-you to the idea of having a full recipe on a blog today.  This is sort of a wing-it-non-recipe recipe. Be brave. Try it.

Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

Pie Crust of your choosing (like the one here)
Brie (a few ounces)
Raspberries (a small container will do)
Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375F.

Roll out your favorite pie crust a little on the thin side (because the whole point is for the dough to crack so raspberry can seep out).  Using heart shaped cookie cutters, cut out heart shapes (or any shape you want really, if you have duckie cookie cutters, you’re awesome and you should use those).

piedough

Spread about 1 tsp of brie (not the rind, just the center creamy part) onto the center of a heart.  The top with a few chocolate chips (maybe 6? or go crazy fit as many in there as possible), and 1 raspberry cut in half.  Obviously, how much you fit in there is going to depend on the size of your cookie cutter.  Mine was about 3 inches at the wides part of the heart.

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Place another heart on top of the brie/choco/raspberry goodness.  Use a fork and press down the edges to bind.  It’s ok if the dough cracks and breaks.  That’s kind of the point and exactly how you get the bleeding heart look. bleedinghearts3 So if your hand pies fall apart then you’re winning. Put those bad boys in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden all around. Allow to cool and serve.  With one double pie crust recipe (or a box of frozen pie crust from the store), you’ll probably get about a 2-3 dozen hand pies depending on the size of the cookie cutter.  This means you’ll need a few ounces of brie and a small pack of raspberries, in case you’re trying to estimate how much you need from my non-recipe. bleedinghearts4

Oh and if you’re going to tell me brie + chocolate sounds like a gross combo, keep the haterade to yourself.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

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I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find holidays exhausting, and I can’t deal with the over-the-top decorations.  Pinterest is currently reeking of Valentine’s Day.  Everything is red and pink, dipped in chocolate and covered in bright sprinkles.  That’s fun, but sometimes it’s overwhelming.

For me, Valentine’s Day should be unique to you and your special someone.  This Valentine’s Day, skip the red velvet dark chocolate dipped strawberries covered in pink, red and white (<— not an actual thing), and give these a try.

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They’re different, interesting and tasty.  I don’t know about you but I love rosemary and lemon together. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, in my opinion.

And let me just go ahead and say… If you have a tea party, because every once in a while we need to relive our childhood and have full blown tea parties, I’m going to request that you make these cookies. lemonrosemarycookies1

Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

adapted from AllRecipes

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
white chocolate chip, sprinkles, royal icing, etc. for decorating

Beat together butter and shortening until fluffy, about a minute.  Add sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.  Add egg and beat another minute.  Add lemon zest and rosemary and beat for 1 minute.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat until combined.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 1-2 hours).

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Roll out dough on a clean floured surface.  Cut to desired shapes. I used small hearts and medium sized hearts, to keep with the Valentine’s day theme, but you can use whatever shape you like.  Lay on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on edges.  The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookie.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

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Once the cookies have cooled, you can serve them as is, or decorate them.  I chose to dip mine in white chocolate and cover them in white sparkling sprinkles.  If you do, just microwave some white chocolate chips, add a bit of oil to get it runnier, then dip and place on parchment paper to harden for a few hours.  Alternatively, you can get your royal icing skillz on and decorate that way.  I gave that a whirl too, but still not pleased with my decorating skills so no pictures of that. lemonrosemarycookies4

You might be thinking: Rosemary in a cookie? Are you nuts?  But it works.  I promise.  Go ahead, take a chance and make these for Valentine’s Day or a tea party.

How do you feel about putting herbs in your sweets?  I’m a big fan of raspberry and sage together!

 

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Dark Chocolate Dreams Giveaway.  Head over to Facebook and enter by clicking the “Giveaway” tab on my page.

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Solution/Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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It’s February 14th.  Suddenly you realize.  Oh shit, it’s Valentine’s day.

Maybe you’re not a planner like others, but don’t worry, I’m not judging.  I have a solution for you.  Forget the fancy dinner.  My quick fix only involves one quick trip to the grocery store and a microwave.

Your Shopping List:

  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Oil
  • Bottle of Champagne or Sparkling Wine
  • A Can of Whipped Cream

This is what you’re making.

Ladies or gentleman will love it.  They don’t have to know how easy it is, and who doesn’t love something homemade?

Plus chocolate covered strawberries are sexy.  True story.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1 package of strawberries
1-2 cups chocolate chips (depending on how many strawberries you use)
1-3 tbsp oil

Clean the strawberries and leave them in the fridge to chill.  Put chocolate chips in the a bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir, microwave again, stir again until chocolate is melted.  Stream in oil as you stir.  Add enough so that it’s slightly runny.

Dip the cold strawberries into chocolate.  Lay on a piece of parchment paper.  Repeat until all strawberries are coated.  If you’d like you can add sprinkles or drizzle with melted white chocolate. Refrigerate about half an hour (or until chocolate is hard, or in a pinch, stick them in the freezer).

Serve them to your honey along with the champagne/sparkling wine, turn the lights down low if you want to get into it.

They’ll eat it up (literally and figuratively) and you’ll save some dollas.  Don’t worry, we’ll keep that between us.

See, Valentine’s day doesn’t have to be so bad.

What about the whipped cream, you ask?

I’ll let you figure out what to do with that…